Easy Restaurant *Homemade* Ramen

On days like today - ok, any day that isn't hot - I want ramen. I've tried (so far unsuccessfully) to make my own noodles, but thanks to Nona Lim (made in Oakland!), I can now create a bowl of excellent ramen at home with very little effort, AND FOR ABOUT $4. 

How is this magic possible?? This may seem like a lot of steps, but it's pretty basic. Make the eggs the night before, and when you get home, all you need to do is heat the broth, cook the noodles, assemble and garnish. You can eat in 20 minutes. 

You must, at all times, have the following ingredients in your home:

A box (or two) of Nona Lim Tokyo Ramen
A box (or four) of Trader Joe's Miso Ginger Broth
Eggs
Fresh Corn (but if you must, Del Monte canned No-Salt Added Corn will do)
Mirin
Soy Sauce or Tamari
Green Onion
Ginger

Whole Foods and Rainbow Coop Carry These

Trader Joe's Miso Ginger Vegan Broth

Eggs Marinated in Mirin and Soy Sauce 

These are the fundamentals for how I like basic ramen, but feel free to branch out and add whatever you like. 

First, let's marinate some eggs. 

This blog has simple instructions. I like an 8 minute simmer for a yolk that's creamy. Don't leave eggs in the ice bath more than 5 minutes or the whites can get tough. Peel the eggs carefully, because the eggs are soft boiled, and can tear easily. I recommend 24 hours in the marinade, and up to 2 days is ok. 

Assembling Your Ramen

The ramen comes in tidy individual serving packets (2 to a box). 
Here are instructions for two:
Boil a large pot of water. 
In a smaller pot, heat up the broth (one full box for 2 people). Add kernels from one ear of corn. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. 
Take two eggs out of the fridge. Thinly sliced some green onion and set aside. Peel a piece of ginger (you'll grate it right over the bowl before serving). 
Once the large pot comes to a raging boil, scoop out some of the water and add it to your serving bowls to warm them up. 
Add the ramen to the pot. I prefer to cook them one at a time so they don't clump. They cook in about 3-4 minutes, so this is doable. Use tongs and a sieve to scoop out the cooked ramen. Pour out the water from your serving bowl, and add the noodles to the warm bowl. 
Gently pour half the broth over the ramen. Add half the corn to the bowl. Slice an egg in half and gently place it on the mound of noodles (you don't want it to drown). Repeat with the other bowl. Sprinkle both bowls with green onions, and grate lots of fresh ginger with a microplane. 

Serve immediately with chop sticks and spoon.

           いただきます

Crispy, Juicy, Succulent Gluten-Free Chicken Wings

It was hard to keep ppl away for 10 seconds to take a photo.

Frying chicken is less recipe, more technique, and techniques vary. In this case, I wanted to make gluten-free fried wings. I figured doing and egg + cornstarch dredge would give me a puffy crust with a light, crisp finish - perfect for holding lots of sauce in its nooks & crannies. I was right. 

Here's what I did.

Prep the Wings
Rinse and pat dry wings. Separate into drumsticks and flats, and remove wing tips (I freeze them for when I make broth). Sprinkle wings with salt. 

Make Your Sauce
What you see above is a mix of Soy Vey, Sweet Chili Sauce, and Sriracha. I reduced the Soy Vey to make it a bit thicker, then stirred in an equal part of chili sauce, and sriracha to taste. 

Have some fresh ginger and cilantro for garnish. 

Dredge the Wings
Beat a few eggs, and toss the wings to coat. 

Drop the wings into a bowl of corn starch (about 1C) mixed with a bit of salt (about 2t), and toss to coat evenly. 

Shake off the excess corn starch, and set the wings on a tray while you heat the oil for frying. 

Fry
Heat about 3C of oil in a heavy skillet, preferably cast iron, to 360'. If you don't have a thermometer, heat the oil on high for about 5 minutes to make sure it's hot. Once the oil shimmers, it's ready. 

Fry the wings in batches for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Don't crowd them. 
Drain the wings on paper towels. 

Toss the wings in the sauce, and top with freshly grated ginger and chopped cilantro. 

на здоровья!

Chinese Pearl Balls

I fell in love with these as a kid. In the late 70's & early 80's, there was a surge in popularity of gourmet cooking & entertaining. Most days, we ate very simply, but during the holidays, my Mom & aunts would bust out the Bon Appetit and Martha Stewart cookbooks, and make morsels of goodness that cemented my love for experimenting with flavors & textures in my own cooking. 

Aside from being irresistibly delicious, these are gluten-free, very easy to prepare, and can be made ahead and frozen, so when company arrives, all you need to do is steam and serve. 

Ingredients
3/4C glutenous rice or sticky rice (does not contain gluten) 
1# ground pork
1 green onion, minced
2t freshly grated ginger
4 water chestnuts, finely minced
1T soy sauce
1T dry sherry (optional)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2t corn starch 
S&P

Dipping sauces can vary to taste. I usually put out several options:
Plum Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
Soy sauce with rice vinegar and chili oil
Sweet chili sauce
Sriracha 

Instructions
Soak the glutinous rice in water for at least 6 - 8 hours (preferably overnight). Drain well in a sieve or colander. Spread out the rice on a baking sheet. Note: Drain and spread out the rice just before making the pearl balls, so that the rice doesn't dry out too much.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl, mixing well to incorporate all the goodies. 

Lay out a baking sheet or tray lined with parchment. Using a small ice cream scoop, a teaspoon, or your hands (keep hands wet for easier handling), make large gumball-sized balls (about 1T), and drop them onto the sheet with the rice. Roll the balls in the rice to coat evenly, and transfer to the tray with the parchment. Space them out so they're not touching. At this point the balls can be frozen for future use (freeze on the sheet pan, then transfer to ziploc bags, being careful not to lose too much rice). 

Steam the balls in batches using bamboo steamers or steamer baskets. Lightly oil the steamers to prevent sticking. Steam for about 20-25 minutes. Serve immediately. 

на здоровья! 

Anti-Inflammatory Orange Avocado Chia Smoothie

Not trying to take credit for this one. Just sharing a tasty smoothie that has a lot of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients, like turmeric, ginger, spinach, oranges and coconut water. 

Next time you go to Trader Joe's, add these ingredients to your cart (I'm pretty sure you can find everything you need at TJ's):

Baby Spinach
Oranges
Avocados
Ginger
Chia Seeds 
Coconut Water
Cinnamon
Turmeric Powder 

Here's the link to the recipe (it's very simple - just easier to link here), as well as good info on how the ingredients can help reduce and prevent inflammation in your body.

The ingredients in this recipe are well-balanced, resulting in a pleasant, creamy green smoothie with natural sweetness (I don't even add honey). To ensure the chia seeds get pulverized, run your blender for a good minute (maybe less if you use a Vitamix). 

Enjoy!

Thai Coconut Braised Spinach with Chick Peas

Until today, if I were offered a choice of beef stew or vegan stew, I would have gone with beef. 

Now, unless Julia Child floats down from the sky with a bowl of her boeuf bourguignon, I'm sticking with this vegan bowl of heaven on earth. 

A friend shared the Treehugger recipe on Facebook the other day, and I, predictably, adapted it. There is nothing wrong with the original recipe, mind you. The ingredients are simple, and once combined, may fool you into thinking you're eating at a fine Thai restaurant. That said, I only changed two ingredients because I didn't have what was called for. Instead of sundried tomatoes, I roasted some cherry tomatoes, which I'm sure weren't as flavorful, but were ok. I also substituted chili-garlic paste for the chili flakes. This was a good decision, as the paste added depth of flavor quickly. The last thing I did was serve the stew over half a roasted acorn squash. I just wanted a little more "meat" to the dish, and the squash was a perfect choice. 

Shopping List (Serves 4)

2 acorn squash , split in half lengthwise & seeded 

1C cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

1# baby spinach

1 small onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1T ginger, minced or grated 

1T chili-garlic paste

1 lemon, zested & juiced (I prefer Meyer lemon here)

1 14oz can light coconut milk

1 15oz can chick peas, drained & rinsed 

olive oil

S&P

ground ginger 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400'. Lay the squash halves hollow-side up on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil, coating all sides with your hands. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, and roast for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. On another sheet pan, spread out the tomatoes cut-size up. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast for about 15 minutes, until caramelized but not burnt. 

Heat a 4Qt. or larger heavy pot, add about 3T olive oil, then saute the onions until they begin to turn golden. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for another minute. Stir in the chili-garlic paste and lemon zest, then add the chick peas, cooking for a few minutes. 

Next add a handful of spinach at a time, stirring and allowing it to wilt. Continue until all of the spinach is incorporated into the mixture. Add the coconut milk and lemon juice, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with S&P and ground ginger. 

To serve, place a half acorn squash into a bowl, and ladle in some of the stew. Top with some of the roasted tomatoes. 

(Do not eat the squash skin. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon as you eat the stew.)

Yellow + Blue = Grins

Yellow? That's the color of this super simple, uber delicious soup (Vitamin A!). Blue? That's me. Grins? One taste & that's all you'll see.

This sweet potato & split yellow pea pureed soup recipe is adapted from one Whole Foods posted about a week ago. I'm sure their vegan version would be just fine, but a few basic alterations make the flavor soar.

My Way is the High Way
8 cups+ low-sodium chicken broth (Trader Joe's brand or Swanson Natural Goodness are best, short of homemade)
1 tablespoon each, olive oil and butter
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon ginger, grated or chopped fine
2 cups dry yellow split peas
2 medium sweet potatoes (Hannah variety), diced 1/2" thick (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Sriracha or Cholula hot sauce
salt & pepper
toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) for garnish

(Hannah Sweet Potatoes)

Heat the oil & butter in a large soup pot. Saute the onion until translucent. Stir in the ginger & heat through. Add the sweet potato, peas, and 8 cups of broth. Season with about 2 teaspoons kosher salt (sea salt is saltier, so better to add a little now & more later if needed) and about 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

Bring to a boil, then simmer covered for 1 hour, or until peas are soft. Puree with an immersion blender, or carefully transfer to a blender in batches, and puree until smooth. BE CAREFUL - it's very hot. Add more broth or water to thin out the soup. Adjust the seasoning with nutmeg and hot sauce. Serve with toasted pepitas for added flavor and texture. Goes great with my jalapeno corn bread!

Soup will continue to thicken as it cools. Cool before storing in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to 6 months. Boil to reheat, and thin with more broth or water as needed.

Enjoy!

(photo from Whole Foods)